Black Bean and Avocado Salad

Description

If you’re looking for your next real food dish to pass at a potluck that is simple, not too expensive and will be loved by all – as long as your people appreciate Mexican flavors, you’ve just found it. You can throw together this delicious salad, which also doubles as a dip or topping, in minutes, making it a versatile new addition to your party repertoire.

Instructions

Mix everything together and give the salad about an hour at room temp or in the fridge for the flavors to meld together. Because the avocado will brown quickly, make the dish the day you serve it (or at least add the avocado at the last minute).

Serve as a salad to be eaten with a fork or as a relish/dip to be eaten on corn chips or crackers. Makes a great cold topping option for gourmet tacos or quesadillas as well.

Store cold for up to three days, but remember that how fresh your avocado was when you made the dish will make a huge impact on its longevity.

Notes

* This amount of jalapeno is a spicy version for sure. If you don’t want a zinger, cut the amount in half or omit it entirely. For a very hot presentation, leave some of the seeds in. Note: homegrown jalapenos are often much hotter than storebought ones these days, so if you’re buying your peppers at the store, you might even add the entire thing before your salad hits “hot” on the spice-o-meter. Taste and see!

* If you have frozen peppers from summer’s bounty, you could get away with using finely chopped frozen jalapenos, but not the bell peppers.

* When I use canned beans, I try to buy Eden brand because they cook with kombu to reduce flatulence and increase digestibility and have BPA-free cans.

* Mix and match: you can omit or switch up the onions and peppers in this dish, and the amounts on the olive oil (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!), lime juice and salt should also be seen as “to taste,” adding more to your own liking.

* For a beautiful presentation: hold out some of the avocado cubes to put right on top, since the avocado, particularly if it’s quite soft, will sort of coat the black beans and end up looking less appetizing. Also add diced tomatoes or cherry tomato halves and a few whole leaves of cilantro right on top. Holding out a bit of the red onion and red pepper to put on top doesn’t hurt the presentation either.